About the Enterprise Grant
Do you need help with marketing your business, or help to purchase equipment for your business? Our Enterprise Grant may be able to help.
The Enterprise Grant scheme has been operating in the District for many years and offers a grant for pre-starts and start-up businesses who have been trading for less than 36 months and based in the district.
You could get:
- A grant up to £2000
- Discretionary one off grants of £500
Businesses must support their application with a sound business plan and accurate financial projections. All grants are up to 50% of project total with the above restrictions. The process for applying is:
- Application form with detail of what is being applied for.
- This must be accompanied by a business plan, showing what the business is about, how it will sell to its customers, who its customers are and the individuals’ qualifications to run that particular business.
- The application must also have accompanying financial forecasts detailing income projections, line-by-line analysis of expenditure.
Our business advisers provide support for the application process and can assist candidates who are unsure of certain business-related topics. Where appropriate further business guidance and training is given through workshops and seminars or face to face with other businesses and advisers.
Our business advisers can assist applicants unaccustomed to considering business-related issues and support the application process. When necessary, additional business training and guidance is provided in-person with other companies and advisers or through workshops and seminars.
A small grants panel make the decisions on grant applications.
For further information, please contact Fiona Humpage, Enterprise Support Manager, fiona.humpage@bassetlaw.gov.uk
Successful applicants
We are showcasing some of our successful Enterprise Grant applicants. Telling us more about their business, and what they put their grant money towards.
Zoe and Barry, The Mobile Pizza Company
Please tell us a bit about your company and why you started it.
I was a teacher for 12 years and after getting pregnant with my second son, my grandad and I decided it was too much to take on two kids under 5, teach full time and have a huge commute.
So we came up with the hare-brained idea based on nothing but ambition that we would set up a mobile food truck and that is how we ended up where I’m in now, which is cooking delicious pizzas out of a mobile horse trailer, called 'Barry' who is named after my grandad.
My husband has done all of the tiling, he has fitted the kitchen and the pizza oven.
What did you spend the money on?
We used all of the grant money and more to make Barry what he is now. With a pizza dome, proper tiling indoors and a fully fitted kitchen as well.
How did you find the process of applying for Enterprise Grants and what would you say to anyone wanting to set up or newly established business about the grant?
All I had to do was go on the local council website and I was able to find out about the grant. So if you are living in Bassetlaw and thinking about starting a small business or even just an idea of a small business, you can look on there and see which grants are available and how you can apply.
I applied and then spent three or four nights worrying that they were going to grill me on maths, and that it was going to be like Dragons Den, which it actually wasn't. It was more like Loose Women than Dragons Den!
However, I would definitely say, if you are sitting there now hating your job, thinking ‘what on earth do I do?’, there are ways out of it. Just have a look and reach out to Bassetlaw Council and see what's available, and good luck!
Keiran Allan, Obviously Optical, Retford
Please tell us a bit about your company and why you started it.
I created Obviously Optical as I wanted to offer a personalised, professional and convenient service. We offer appointments in the customers home at a time to suit them and in the next few weeks will be able to offer appointment in our shop too. These appointments are available at a time to suit the customer, whether that be early in the morning or late at night 7 days a week. When I created the company I wanted to guarantee expertise to ensure every pair of glasses is exactly what the customer needs and wants for their lifestyle - between myself and my colleague Wendy we have over 40 years of optical experience so when it comes to glasses there wont be a thing we haven’t seen and resolved already!
What you have used the grant money for?
The grant money has been used for leaflets, our beautiful shop sign, advertising in Made magazine and the Retford life and also a sign at Retford Cricket Club.
What would you say to anyone wanting to set up or newly established business about the grant?
The grant has certainly helped us progress quicker than we would have been able to so we are extremely grateful that it was awarded and the process for everything has been extremely easy!
Last Updated on Thursday, November 23, 2023